When the Atlantis Marine Park first opened in Yanchep, Western Australia, just north of Perth, in 1981, it gave the public an opportunity to interface with dolphins, seals, sea lions, penguins, and pelicans—and enjoy a little poolside fun in the sun. But as regulations regarding the keeping of dolphins changed and the park faced financial woes, the owners decided to close it in 1990. Since then, the park has become overgrown and attracted graffiti, but it's most memorable feature, a giant statue of King Neptune, still looks out over the park.

In anticipation of the park's opening, seven bottlenose dolphins were caught and trained as performance animals for the part, and by 1990, the park had three captive-born juveniles. In the late 1980s, however, the changing rules about holding marine mammals changed, meaning that if the park owners wanted to keep their dolphins, they would have to construct a larger dolphin enclosure. Ultimately, the owners decided to close the park instead, and the dolphins were rehabilitated and released into the wild. When three of them failed to thrive after the initial release attempt, they were relocated to another marine park.